


Who's A Good Dog?

by bustybarnes



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Dog trainer Steve, Fae & Fairies, Greek God Bucky, M/M, Steve is a sass master and I love it, Steve's Pov, and I took liberties with Greek mythology, because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 06:22:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11663415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bustybarnes/pseuds/bustybarnes
Summary: Steve's a dog trainer who's star has risen pretty high thanks to a couple of high profile clients while Bucky, well, Bucky has a more interesting career.  Bucky is Hades, God of the Underworld.And he has a three headed dog who doesn't obey for anything.After months of trying to make an appointment with the best magical dog trainer in the city, Bucky has to resort to alternate methods to get Steve's help.  And Steve's having none of it.





	Who's A Good Dog?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ViperSeven](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ViperSeven/gifts).



> So this fic wouldn't exist were it not for the amazing and fantastic [Viper](http://viperbranium.tumblr.com). She posted the best prompt as follows:
> 
> okay idek where this one came from but like an au halfway between greek mythology and magical realism in which underworld god!Bucky keeps having trouble with his mischievous and hyperactive dog Cerberus and ~~kidnaps~~ hires dog trainer!Steve to help him
> 
> And yeah thus this fic was born. It's also Viper's birthday present so happy early birthday sweetheart! I know she wanted some meet-ugly slow build with Steve sort of being sassy and bitchy at first but slowly falling for Bucky despite himself. Well, I got the meet ugly and Steve being sassy and bitchy at first and then falling for Bucky despite himself. I'm not sure how slow the build is but this just fit?
> 
> (Same rules apply as with all my fics...not beta'd so find something spelling or grammar wise, message me.)

Steve walked into the park where he was meeting his Saturday morning regulars. There were birds chirping overhead, the sound of the leaves and branches swaying slightly in the breeze...all in all the perfect day in his opinion. Steve finished his coffee, savoring the fact that it was just hot enough still and thanking the Gods he’d found a barista that put just enough of an enchantment to keep it that way instead of scorching hot like the last one had.

He heard a cacophony of yapping and barking as he approached the clearing the group met in and instantly dropped the empty cup into a wastebin so he could square his shoulders and focus on the task at hand.

“Morning everybody!” The yapping and barking subsided the instant Steve came into view of the dogs and their owners. “I heard you all the way back at the entrance to the park so it looks like we need to go over the ground rules again, hmm?” Steve walked around and greeted each of the owners before sitting in the middle of the circle with his legs crossed. He motioned for the owners to disconnect the leads and leashes they were holding to test how well the animals remembered their lessons. None of the dogs moved so much as a muscle until Steve motioned for them to come towards him and they did in a rush. 

“Alright that’s enough!” Steve laughed after he’d been thoroughly licked, nuzzled, and loved on by each dog present. He motioned for them to return to their owners. “Now what have we said about manners while waiting for me? I’m sure your parents weren’t too happy with all the commotion.” He looked around the circle. There was some murmuring until Carol piped up.

“I think, and this is just for me, that Sadie and I are still having some problems with obey and focus. It’s the focus enchantment that I just can’t get down.” She petted the head of her Mastiff lovingly.

Steve nodded, watching the energy between the two beings. He could see there was some muddling and a block around Sadie. “Well it can be difficult, especially if the person casting the enchantment isn’t focused. Sadie’s picking up on your hesitancy and broadcasting it back to you in her refusal to obey.” 

“I never thought about it that way,” Billy sighed, kneeling down to come eye to eye with his Great Dane, Maximus. “You don’t want to follow an enchantment I don’t entirely trust myself casting, huh?” Maximus rewarded him with a lick from his neck to his forehead.

“So I think we have our project for today, if everybody’s comfortable with that.” Steve felt the entire group relax and train their energy onto him. This was going to be a productive day.

About an hour later, the group was breaking up and Steve was happy to see that, for the most part, no one was having issues getting their dogs to focus on leaving rather than staying to try and pry more treats from Steve. There were a couple, Maximus and Caid, two of the groups most perceptive dogs, who kept pulling their owners, and Steve, towards a tree behind them like someone was watching them. Steve felt a strange energy from there a couple of times but, when he looked, really looked, he couldn’t see, or feel, anything out of the ordinary, let alone a person.

Steve headed back to his office/loft, texting Wanda that they needed to restock on ingredients for the class treats before next week and checking to see what his schedule looked like. He had to make a couple of house calls to check on some clients who’d expanded their families either with new dogs or with new people and needed some help adjusting their pets to the change. Not an overly crowded day, schedule wise, but draining nonetheless. Ever since one of his clients’ dogs had won Westminster last year, Steve had to close appointments to non-established clients and set up a waiting list. 

“Steve…” Wanda stuck her head out of their shared storefront when Steve tried to sneak in. He knew better considering Wanda felt every moment of every molecule in her store and could probably hear the itinerary going through his head from a block away but he tried all the same.

“Hey. Get my text? They cleaned me out today!” He looked around to see that Wanda had four different batters going with ingredients being levitated into them simultaneously.

“I did and you’ll be well stocked by next week don’t worry. You got your weekly phone call while you were out.” She motioned to the desk behind the counter and Steve groaned. He wanted to delete it without listening to it, just like he had after the first 2 or 3 dozen, but he felt bad because he could practically hear his mother tsking at his lack of manners. “Just listen to it, delete it, and be done with it for a week.” Wanda prodded him towards the desk and Steve let her.

“Hi yeah I was just wondering if there have been any openings in your schedule for a new client? Money is absolutely no object and this is kind of an emergency so if you could….” And Steve tuned him out right before deleting the message.

“Sounds cute and money’s no object is never a bad thing…” Wanda smiled.

“He sounds desperate and I don’t do desperate. Well, I do but not in this case. I legitimately do not have the time.” Steve sighed and headed upstairs to change before heading back out to his house calls. He was greatly looking forward to a quick shower before changing clothes as he opened the door to his apartment…and stepped into some place completely differed.

Steve looked around wildly, bringing all his enchantments up and focusing his energy on defending himself. The room was lit somehow but Steve didn’t see any fixtures or candles but light seemed to ebb from the walls. He realized he must be in some kind of foyer so he walked towards where he assumed the rest of the dwelling was. He heard what sounded like a one-sided argument just past the door in front of him.

“This is not a fucking toy! Charon needs this! No, give it to me. Cer, I swear to all the Gods…” Steve recognized that voice and annoyance replaced curiosity as he pushed the door open but he was not prepared for what he saw. A man, just slightly taller than him, was trying, and failing, to pry an elongated oar out of one of the mouths of a three headed dog.

“What. The. Fuck?!” Steve exclaimed and instantly the oar hit the floor as all four heads in the room whipped around to look at him.

“Oh you’re here! That was quick...uhh…” The man quickly picked the oar up and it was instantly gone. He ran his hand through his hair, an obvious nervous habit, and tried to push the three headed dog behind him. “Sorry I wanted to be there when…”

“I know you. You keep calling for an appointment.” Steve kept his guard up as the stranger approached him. Steve tried to get a reading on his intentions but there was nothing emanating from him. The dog, on the other hand, bounded up to him excitedly, tail wagging hard enough to stir up a breeze in the room. Steve couldn’t help but bring both hands up to pet each head in turn and scratch behind its ears.

“Yeah about that. I told you it was an emergency. Cer keeps trying to play with and mostly destroy things that he has no business destroying. Last night, he got out into the Elysian Fields and I didn’t think I would ever get him back in…” 

“Wait. Charon. Elysian Fields. Three headed dog. Are you…” Steve looked around at his surroundings. “Is this...I mean...am I? How the fuck am I in the Underworld?!” 

“Caught on pretty quick to that one. And I thought for sure it would be the three headed dog that was the sure giveaway there.” The guy smirked at him, probably trying to defuse the situation but Steve would not be defused.

“I’m pretty sure it’s against some pantheonic rule to kidnap someone from another pantheon.” Steve held his head high, willing to risk his reputation on the fact that this guy had no idea who he was dealing with. 

But luck was not on his side it seemed.

“Well technically it is but only for full Gods or Goddesses. You, Steven Grant Rogers, only son of Sarah and Joseph Rogers, are only a distant descendent of Ardwinna and maybe Cernunnos, but that last one is up for debate.” He shrugged, the gap in his concentration allowing the illusion over his left arm to falter. There was silver where there had been flesh a moment ago but the gap lasted barely a second. “So see...nothing in the rules that says I can’t have you down here for a consultation and chat about Cer.”

Steve took a deep breath and counted backwards from ten...twice...before answering the taunting tone. “Like I told you months ago, I’m not taking on new clients. Not even a God.” He turned his back on the dog and the person. “Lockjaw!” Steve crossed his arms and waited for his ride out of the Underworld. When the dog didn’t show up immediately, Steve focused on calling physically and psychically. “Lockjaw, I need a ride home!” He heard chuckling behind him. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothin...just nobody’s gonna hear you down here unless I let them.” He scratched Cerebus’s head idly.

“Do you have any idea who I’m calling anyway? I’m not just yelling for him…”

“Yeah I know who Lockjaw is but he won’t be able to hear or sense you down here unless I let him. Kind of my domain to do as I please.” The guy motioned around before pulling his hair back into a ponytail and keeping it there. Steve was so furious that he was calm, which was, honestly, a new feeling for him. He was used to rage and righteous indignation but this? This was quite literally some otherworldly bullshit. So he decided to get even.

“Okay so you want me to train Cerebus here not to go after the oars that the Ferryman uses on the River Styxx? And I’m guessing to completely obey every single solitary thing you say?” The guy shook his head in an enthusiastic yes. “I’d be happy to.” Steve moved back and motioned for Cerebus to walk toward him. “And as soon as I’m done and demonstrate that the enchantments work, you’ll send me back?” Another enthusiastic nod yes. “And I have your word?”

“You have my solemn promise that I will return you home just as soon as you get him to obey.” The stranger pledged, his voice serious.

“Cerebus, focus on me.” Steve knelt down and motioned for all three heads to watch him as he traced signs and sigils in the air. He murmured words to the dog all the while, mainly strengthening the magick in the sigils but also casting low level spells here and there. It didn’t take much more than a few minutes until he was done, standing up and watching his captor. “Go ahead and materialize that oar from earlier.” Cerebus’s attention never left Steve until he saw the oar levitating in mid-air just off to their right. Steve stepped back and released his energy spell on Cerebus, motioning to the oar. He saw the other brunett wince but Cerebus ignored the oar, opting to sit and patiently wait for instructions. The oar vanished as laughter bounced around the room.

“That’s incredible! Wait a minute lemme try something.” He walked through another set of doors that Steve didn’t feel like following him through. “Cer, come ‘ere boy!” And the dog bounded off towards him like a shot. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s my good boy?” Steve swallowed the bubble of laughter that threatened to pop out.

“Satisfied?” He called, more than a little impatient to get home and, by the time he could ask again, he was standing in his apartment, the door hanging open behind him.

***************************

“So wait a minute...mister calls once a week, money no object guy is a God? Like a literal God?” Janet asked during their dinner meetup later that week and Steve just nodded into his water. “Which one? I mean...like which pantheon?”

“Uhhh...Greek. Hades.” He mumbled and every plate on the table shook. Janet, Steve, and Sam looked at Wanda, as she was the only one who had that particular ability. “Sharing is caring there Wanda…”

She sighed and sat her drink down carefully, smoothing out the disturbed silverware instantly. “He hates that name. I thought I recognized his voice but I couldn’t be sure but yeah my brother knows him.” 

Bewilderment colored the table. “But Pietro...he’s fast so we just chalked it up to him being either Fae or a pixie but definitely winged like us.” Sam motioned at himself and Janet but Wanda shook her head no.

“Nope. Heir to the title of Hermes, Messenger of the Gods of Olympus. See, the names aren’t actual names but titles kind of like calling James, his name is James by the way, God of the Underworld. His title is actually Hades, God of the Underworld...and some other stuff I imagine.” She shrugged and Steve just felt...annoyed again.

“So why couldn’t you tell me all this?” He moved to look at her and her alone, wanting to see and feel the shift in her energy when his cell phone rang. One look at the caller ID and he knew the number immediately. “Hold that thought...I have a God calling.” 

“Steve be nice…” Wanda hissed as Steve hit the answer button.

“Steve…”

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY FUCKING DOG?!” came the booming reply, interrupting Steve’s greeting.

“Well hello Hades...how are you? Having some dog problems?” Steve smiled, sass coloring every syllable he uttered as Wanda facepalmed and Janet and Sam fought back a mix of groans and laughter.

“Answer. My Fucking. Question, Celt, or else.” There was pure menace and malice in his words but, instead of scaring Steve, it reinforced his defences. 

“I would be careful of what you say to puppy if I were you. They’re such delicate creatures.” There was a retort but Steve ignored it, disconnecting the call immediately and pocketing the phone.

“Holy shit did you just sass a God? Steve Rogers just sassed a God! You’re buying dinner because, after that, you’re fucking dead!” Janet giggled and Steve leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head…

...and falling onto the floor on his ass immediately. 

Shit. He was back in the Underworld, along with a highly unamused God of the Underworld and a somehow misbehaving hellhound. Steve looked around quickly and saw Cerebus covered in towels and Hade...James...still dripping wet.

“Ya know, swimming works better if you change out of your clothes first.” Steve smirked, hopping up gracefully and wiping non-existent dirt off his pants, nonplussed in the face of a pissed off God.

“Yeah well I figured what the fuck, why not ruin my favorite jeans and T-Shirt by going for a quick dip in the River Styx with Cerebus only HE JUMPED IN FIRST AND CAN’T FUCKING SWIM.” James stalked right up to him and stared at him, their eyes almost even. “So I repeat...what the everloving FUCK did you do to my dog?”

Steve wasn’t phased in the slightest. “You shouldn’t have told him to go swimming if he doesn’t know how to swim.” He turned to wander around the room but found himself being shoved against a wall roughly. “I don’t care who the fuck you are, back off. I did exactly what you wanted me to. Cerebus hasn’t gone after Charon’s oars has he?” James shook his head no. “And he obeyed everything you said without fault or you having to repeat yourself, right?” Steve waited for the realization to dawn in the stormcloud grey eyes.

“That’s not at all what I meant, you fucking punk!” And there was the lightbulb moment. “I want him to obey me not do everything I say.”

“You didn’t say that, jerk. Maybe think about that the next time you kidnap somebody and just expect them to blindly know exactly what you want them to do.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest and watched James. His hair was still wet and the edges were sticking to the sides of his face while the rest was starting to dry with a slight curl to the longer locks. He was broad shouldered and physically intimidating, apart from the whole thing where he was a God.

“Whatever, just fucking undo whatever you did and I’ll send you back.” James turned on his heel and was gone in mid-step, leaving Steve alone with Cerebus, who just looked up at him from underneath the ludicrously large pile of towels. He could see where there was a tail moving underneath the towels and all three heads looked up at him with three sets of puppy dog eyes.

“Don’t look like that. This wasn’t exactly your fault...and we’re gonna fix it right now.” Steve knelt down in front of the middle head and focused his energy on the animal, commanding all three heads to look at him so he could power down the previous enchantments and sigils. It took Steve more time to power down the enchantments and re-focus the energies behind the sigils but he got it done, the energy drain taking a physical toll when he stood up. “I’m done whenever you’re...Gods above and below!” Steve was in the middle of calling for him when James walked back in out of thin air right in front of him, practically walking into him.

“Well you got the below part right,” he half sneered at Steve and Steve took it because, yeah he kind of deserved that. “Cerebus, go rip up the couch.” But there wasn’t even a shifting of muscle under the towels. “Cer, how’s about you go jump into Charon’s boat for funsies.” Still nothing. James knelt down next to the dog. “How about you don’t give me a heart attack like that anymore? I may be a God but I still got feelings, you big lug.” 

Steve took a step forward to say something and ran right into Sam’s back. “Oh hey Steve’s back and he’s in one piece! Just in time to pick up the check, man, c’mon!”

***************************

Life became what had once been considered normal but now it was almost dull. There were no Saturday phone calls to dread. There were no random teleportations to the Underworld to deal with Cerebus. There weren’t even any texts or emails to say ‘Hey we’re doing great!’ The last Steve had heard from James had been a very hefty check that had been deposited into the business account not long after he’d been returned from his last trip to the Underworld. But there had been no note to say how Cerebus had been doing or if his behavior problems had gotten better, or even if they’d gotten worse.

So Steve went back to his normal day to day life. He taught his obedience classes, saw his clients, did his workshops...but none of the animals were as intriguing as a three headed hellhound.

“You’re moping.” Wanda threw a cloth at him in the bakery one day when Steve had absolutely not been moping around, constantly checking his phone just in case it rang with an unfamiliarly familiar number on the caller ID.

“No I’m not. I’m just...concerned. About Cer,” Steve used the dog’s nickname as there were people in the bakery at the moment and he didn’t feel like broadcasting his issues. Wanda couldn’t stop the sigh that escaped her mouth. Steve didn’t buy that anymore than she did.

“Of course you were.” 

Steve shuffled his feet nervously. It was a habit left over from being a little kid who never knew what to say when people talked to him rather than at him. “I was wonderin’...if maybe Pietro’s heard anything? About Cer I mean…” He watched as Wanda closed her eyes and smiled, usually confirmation that she’d reached her brother psychically. The smile was short lived, however.

“Nope he hasn’t seen or heard from him but James hasn’t mentioned him since back before your last visit down there and, before that, it was near constant bitching. So,” she shrugged and went back to finishing the bark-day cake display.

Steve sat down and tried to focus on doing the books for the store but instead of reconciling figures, he found himself sketching Cerebus and, much to his dismay, James. He heard Wanda chuckle from the kitchen and knew he was broadcasting his thoughts. He put the sketches on under the balance book and tried his best to forget about them.

A couple of days later, Pietro zoomed into the shop to visit Wanda and Steve happened to come in just as he was getting ready to zoom out. 

“Pietro! Long time no see!” 

“Steve...heard you were a visitor in my pantheon and escaped unscathed, despite being a little shit.” Pietro never was one to mince words.

“Well I do like living dangerously what can I say…” Steve was going for nonchalant and was losing. “Actually, I was wondering something.”

“Nope, haven’t heard a peep.”

“No not about that. Umm...how does one get to the Underworld, short of dying? Because I checked with Crystal and Lockjaw and he apparently can’t portal down there.” Steve leaned against the counter, aiming for casual conversation but knowing Pietro to be almost as perceptive as his sister just without the psychic gifts.

“Uh-huh...well you have to have an invitation from James or know someone with basically an all access pass.” Pietro stood a little taller at the last statement.

“Like you have, I’m assuming?”

“NO! Pietro, no. You know what he’ll do…” Wanda practically flew out from the kitchen.

“What, he can’t hurt me. Not that he wouldn’t try but he can’t. If Steve’s sure…” He shrugged off Wanda’s attempt to stop him. Steve could see her trying to put an energy block around him.

“Steve, James has a temper that my brother likes to mock but he’s not one to be taunted. He’s the God of the Underworld and should be respected as such.” Wanda stared at Steve and he felt her trying to influence his decision.

“But I’m just going to check on Cerebus. I won’t be there long.” Steve was resolute and turned to look at Pietro again. “So how do we do this?” He felt Pietro’s hand on his arm and then they were in James’s foyer again, Cerebus gnawing on a frankly ginormous bone happily. All three heads shot up when they saw Steve brought him the bone, tail wagging happily.

“Hey Cerry! How’re ya?” Pietro reached out a hand to pet one of Cerebus’s heads but it was met with a growl.

“Hey...that’s not nice. Pietro brought me all the way down here to see you and that’s his thanks?” Steve warned the head closest to him and all three ducked, thorough scolded.

“Cer who are you...what the fuck are you doing here? And that goes for both of you.” James walked out of the main room and stopped short.

“And that’s my cue. Later Steve!” And as quickly as he’d gotten Steve into the foyer, Pietro was gone.

“Pietro! Dammit...that’s was my way home. Thanks for that.” Steve didn’t stop petting Cerebus as he snapped at the dog’s owner.

“Not my fault you’re trespassing and Speedy knew to hightail it before I get miffed. Now, wanna answer the question?” James leaned against the wall and gave Steve a bored look.

Steve took a minute to formulate his answer, trying to phrase it so he didn’t come off completely confrontational. “Well, I was wondering how Cerebus was doing and since I had no way of contacting you to find out, I had to resort to other methods.” Cerebus kept nudging Steve’s leg with the bone. “Whassa matter, boy? Wanna play fetch?”

“Well, you did your job and you were paid for it so…” James snapped and Steve felt his patience end.

“Look, I don’t give a flying fuck if you’re a God or not. You can’t just kidnap someone and expect them to bend over backwards to help you! If you had been a little more forthcoming with information on what your situation was, maybe I would’ve been more sympathetic!” 

“Did you even listen to some of the messages I left you? Because I did go into detail, great detail, several times and I didn’t hear dick from you. The day I kidnapped you, as you put it, Cerebus almost made Charon miss ferrying a soul across. That soul could’ve ended up trying to swim across, thinking they hadn’t been buried with a coin for the Ferryman and then odds are they would’ve gotten trapped in the river. Do you have any what a logistical nightmare that is, not to mention how unfair it is to the soul in question?!” James pushed himself away from the wall and stalked towards Steve, who stood his ground and squared his shoulders.

“No I don’t but I have people and beings who depend on me, too. It might not be life or death but their struggles are important, too. One of the hardest things I have on my schedule is working to rehabilitate dogs who’ve been abused or mistreated. Some of them I can barely get near either because they cower away from me or they lash out at me from fear. You want I should replace them with you on my schedule?” Steve went toe to toe with James and he could’ve sworn he saw something akin to sadness or despair pass across his face.

“I didn’t know you did that. It’s not on your website…” 

“No it’s not. Because I don’t do it for the publicity or anything. Hell, I don’t even let the shelters pay me. I do it because I love these animals and seeing them suffer or be mistreated physically hurts me.” He turned around to smile at Cerebus, who was nudging Steve’s hand with one of his heads. “Yeah it does.” He looked back at James. “So it’s not that I didn’t care that you had an emergency on your hands. It’s that I have to schedule downtime for myself because, otherwise, I’ll burn out. I almost did after Westminster last year.” He sighed. 

“Shit. I had no idea. I’d just heard through the grapevine that Crystal said you were amazing with helping Lockjaw fine tune his portaling ability and then seeing how you were like doggy xanax at Westminster backstage, I figured if anybody could help me with Cer…” James reached forward and gave Cerebus’s nearest head a scratch, earning his hand a generous lick.

“Well...if you still want help training Cer and not just having him blindly follow what you tell him to do or not do, I can help when I have openings in my schedule but I’m not promising it’ll be with any kind of regularity.” Steve let his shoulders hunch, practically hearing Wanda screaming at him not to add anything else to his plate.

“That would be wonderful! And here, there’s a talisman that will get you here whenever you want, even if it’s to come visit Cer, it’s obvious he likes you.” James waved one hand over the other and a silver circle with a red star appeared in his hand. “Just press the star and it’ll portal you down here.” Steve murmured his thanks and they both stood there, petting Cerebus for a few minutes. 

“I need to get back. It’s my turn to close up shop and then I have an early day tomorrow at one of the shelters. But maybe Saturday? My usual house calls are all out of town.” 

“That’d be great!” James grinned brightly. “I mean, uhh, yeah if you’re not too tired after this week.”

Steve returned the grin. “I’ll be fine. Umm...one question. How do I get home? You scared off my ride.”

James rolled his eyes dramatically. “The pendant brings you down here and can take you home. Or I can send you back. Anywhere specific?”

“Just my shop, thanks.” And Steve was back in his shop with a lingering ‘see you soon’ on the air.

***************************

They didn’t really get into a routine after that because Steve hadn’t been lying when he said he’d visit when he had time in his schedule. But he kept his word that Saturday and had started with the process of teaching Cerebus that James was the alpha and the alpha’s lead was to be followed along with enforcing that with select enchantments here and there. Eventually they’d moved on to basic commands. Every visit, they went out into the Elysian Fields to play fetch or just to unwind and to let Steve rest.

“So what kind of name for a God of the Underworld is James?” Steve asked one day a few months after he’d been coming down for training sessions. Cerebus was gnawing on another ginormous bone and they were sitting under a tree. Steve had brought a mini-picnic of sorts, mostly sweets from the human side of their bakery along with bottled water.

“The one I was born with?” James said, licking icing off his fingers, which absolutely did not fascinate Steve.

“Gods name their children James?”

“No but mortals do and that’s what I was before all of this.” He motioned around the fields but Steve stared at him. “What? Do I have icing on my chin?”

“You were mortal?” Steve almost forgot to blink.

“Yeah. And before you ask, I don’t wanna talk about what happened. Let’s leave it at I got down here and the Hades before me offered me a choice. So here I am until either I get tired of it and find somebody else like he did...or time itself ends.” 

“James…”

“Also, I hate that name. My friends used to call me Bucky. And again don’t ask.” Bucky took a long drink of water and Steve absolutely did watch the way his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

Eventually, one day when Steve had purposefully rearranged his schedule so he could go visit Bucky and Cerebus, he realized he was running out of things to teach both of them. They were into his advanced enchantments and energy work that he usually only did with either magick workers or magical beings. But of course Bucky was picking up on things easily. He was a God. Steve had to remind himself of this routinely.

“Steve has a crush,” Wanda declared at their next dinner get together. Janet clapped her hands and Sam grinned broadly, leaving Steve groaning and hiding his face.

“I don’t have a crush. I have a newfound respect for a client.” He straightened up and stared down his friends, who were having none of it.

“No sweetie you have a crush. It’s ‘Bucky this’ and ‘Bucky that’ and ‘oh my God you should’ve seen Bucky and Cer the other day’...” Wanda batted her eyes and made an over the top gesture, putting one hand on each cheek and sighing loudly.

“Wow so not only does Steve have a crush but is this the same Bucky as in James as in Hades God of the Underworld?” Janet looked back and forth between them and Wanda nodding yes left Janet speechless.

“Well first off congrats for leaving Janet speechless. That’s like the first time in, what seventy five years?” Sam quipped and earned himself a smack from Janet. “Second, Steve, my man, are you serious about this? I thought you hated this guy.”

“He took a picnic down with him last time. And not any picnic. He took cupcakes from the shop that he only has me make for important client birthdays and stuff.” Wanda mock whispered. “And then there are these.” She snatched Steve’s phone and opened it to the photo gallery to show all the photos Steve had taken over the months of Bucky and Cerebus, both separately and together. She passed it to Janet, who passed it to Sam. Steve could feel the blush creeping up his neck and into his face.

“I didn’t think the God of the Underworld was supposed to smile, let alone smile this much.”

Steve was used to there being nobody else being around the Underworld, well, Bucky’s place, other than Bucky and Cerebus so, when he showed up and found Bucky talking to a petite redhead, Steve had to swallow a surge of jealousy.

Especially when he saw the redhead press a light kiss to Bucky’s lips.

“You have a visitor so we’ll finish this later, yes?” There was the trace of an accent to her voice but Steve couldn’t place it. Bucky turned around and smiled brightly.

“Hey Stevie! You’re early!”

“Sorry. I can come back…” Steve touched the red star on his pendant, sending himself right back to his apartment with a sigh and a groan, closing his eyes and dropping his head back. “Well that was the adult thing to do...run. Nice one, Rogers.”

“Yeah that’s what I thought, too.” Steve opened his eyes and he was back in Bucky’s living room.

“Dammit Buck I told you I hate it when you do that.” He touched the star but nothing happened. “What the…”

“Told you. My domain. Now why did you run out when you saw Natasha?” Bucky threw himself down onto his long black and red couch, throwing his feet up over the back of the couch.

“Well it just looked like I was interrupting something so I figured I’d excuse myself.” Steve leaned against the wall behind the couch. He heard Bucky sigh, probably when he realized Steve wasn’t going to sit on the sofa, and Steve saw him kneel so he could put his elbows on the back of the sofa where his legs had just been.

“That? Was sealing an agreement. Natasha’s idea of a joke since she knows I have no interest in her like that. I pity any man who does seeing as how she’s one of the Furies.” Bucky spoke the last part slowly. When the words registered in Steve’s brain, he finally looked up to see a devious grin playing on Bucky’s face.

“Oh so you two…” Bucky shook his head no. “But she said you’d finish later…”

“She only meant we’d finalize the details of her bargain later. But that’s not important. What is important is why does it matter?” Bucky gracefully leaped up and over the back of the couch to perch on it and watch Steve carefully.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me. Why do you care what you might have been interrupting?” Steve felt Bucky scrutinizing him and he wasn’t about to falter under it.

“You mean other than the fact that I’m a decent person who doesn’t get off watching other people making out?”

“Yeah besides that.”

Shit. So much for not faltering under scrutiny. “Nothing else. That’s all.” Steve straightened his stance and looked just to the right of Bucky’s head, making it look like he was looking at him. But of course Bucky was too smart for that.

“Then why aren’t you looking at me and why is your face so flushed? Your breathing is even increased and your pupils are slightly dilated.” Bucky had moved so close to him that Steve could smell the clinging scent from the Elysian fields where he must have spent time with Cerebus earlier. He swallowed involuntarily. “Dry mouth?” He tsked. “Wanna know what I think?" Steve nodded yes. “I think you were jealous of Natasha because I think you like me.” Bucky moved back, standing completely still and Steve knew, he just knew, that Bucky was waiting for him to make the first move.

“And why do you think that?” Steve’s voice sounded strained and a little harsh to his own ears but Bucky just smiled.

“Well you’ve gone over the same thing the last three times you’ve come down here even though I picked up the enchantments the first time and Cer knows the commands. We’re spending less and less time on any training or working with Cer and more time just hanging out and talking. Then there’s the dead giveaways, pardon the pun.” 

“And what are those?”

“Well, I have it on pretty good authority that you’ve purposefully rearranged your schedule to make room for these visits, even cancelling some of your home visits. And then there’s the fact that you can’t stop staring at my mouth while I’m talking.” 

Steve forced his eyes to move back to Bucky’s from his mouth. “Fuuuuuuck,” he groaned

“You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now,” Bucky whispered, moving his body so close to Steve’s again and Steve let out a low whine.

“Why don’t you then?” He grabbed Bucky’s belt loops and pulled him so their bodies were flush against each other from hips to knees.

“Has to be your move, doll. Won’t make it seem like I forced you…”

“Gods below just kiss me already…” Steve moaned and leaned up to press his lips to Bucky’s, lightly at first, their first kiss shy and tentative but oh their second kiss. Bucky cupped Steve’s jaw with his left hand and licked his way into Steve’s mouth, Steve pulling him fully against his body and pulling both of them back against the wall. Bucky licked Steve’s lower lip and Steve nipped playfully at his tongue, using Bucky’s laugh to slide his tongue past Bucky’s full lips to slide along Bucky’s tongue. When they finally parted, both of them were out of breath, their foreheads pressed together. They were content to stay like that, trading small kisses and smiling stupidly at each other…

Until Cerebus bounded into the room and knocked them both down, licking their faces enthusiastically.


End file.
